New Music For Your Weekend

Fridays are always the best day of the week, both for new music releases and for live shows. This week is no different, and is perhaps the best Friday of the year, in large part thanks to the highly anticipated debut EP, New Laces, from Pusher, and hometown heroes, Loud Luxury taking the stage at UNIUN. Below you'll find some of the releases I'm dead excited about and will be playing a ton this weekend. New Laces is a true artistic masterpiece, the first three tracks "Clear," "Tell You," and "Shake Down," are all in the conversation for my track of the year. Not only do they range in styles, but they showcase three different vocalists, for which Pusher so perfectly works around their lyrics. Add to that three more tracks with an additional three vocalists and you've got album that surely marks the official 'startup' of what promises to be a phenomenal career. Make no mistake, Pusher has been on my radar ever since I heard his remix of Ryn Weaver's "OctaHate," but New Laces will propel Pusher into the ears and hearts of music fans worldwide. I for one am anxiously awaiting his next live set, fingers crossed that he headlines a Toronto show soon, so he can really show off his awesome mixing style.  From Point Point's Record Record imprint comes, DZZ's debut EP Wishes. Bright and bleepy, the three originals and additional remix from Maxo, flow from a fluorescent factory of feels. A combination of Porter Robinson sentimentality and Cashmere Cat creativity, the shower of sparkles that is the 8-bit, lullaby-esque beauty of Wishes guarantees good feelings all around.  I think it's safe to say my favourite label is Monstercat, thanks to the consistent quality they pump out, not to mention they're the home of one of my favourite artists, Stephen Walking. Of course they also enjoy producers, Conro, Tristam and Aero Chord. The latter, Aero Chord, has Monstercat's latest release, "The 90s," which is a delicious depiction of future bass. Aero Chord offers up bounding bass and the soaring soundtrack-esque synths that make that decade so delightful.A close second in the race for my favourite label is AC Slater's Night Bass. The carefully curated content they release is always awesome, and Kry Wolf's Temper certainly fits the billing. Ballsy, big and bouncy the three track EP is everything we've come to expect from the duo. Fear not the dark of Night Bass as Kry Wolf are armed with a "Flashlight" that will have you in "Wavves" of ecstasy. Toronto's own Shaun Frank is riding some kind of high lately, having released massive records with The Chainsmokers, DVBBS and Oliver Heldens. "Let You Get Away" is however a solo production, and one without frequent collaborator, Delaney Jane. But once again, Shaun Frank fills our speakers with an undeniably awesome production. The man simply knows how to produce, especially around vocals.Another Canadian that's been on a tear lately, is Vancouver's own, Vanic. His latest, "Samurai" showcases his sharp ear for production, slicing and dicing synths around Katy Tiz's vocals, proving Vanic is not just a flash in the pan talent, but a true heavy hitter that can swing with the best. There's something about this Vera production that just captures my attention. Perfect for Pelican Fly, the cool Copenhagen producer pits big bass against raucous, rapturous wild sounds that remind me of RL Grime, Toto's "Africa" and Dem Slackers' remix of "Fifty What." I for one cannot wait to hear what else Vera has in store for us with the rest of her debut EP, scheduled to be released September 23rd. NGHTMRE is fresh off his killer collab "Need You" with Dillon Francis, yet may have just dropped an even deeper, darker and more dangerous death star of sorts. The veteran presence of Zeds Dead on "Frontlines" propels NGHTMRE into another stratosphere, likely launching this track into even more DJ sets and onto even more radio stations. Why not finish with a fire free download from Winnipeg, the city with perhaps the highest number of producers, per capita. Released on Kardoso's LUXE label, CCIV & PRZM have found a number of their tracks on Bump In The Hump, and you better believe "Mindmelt" will get a spin on Radio Humber as well. Whenever these two match up, the resulting track is pure power, and "Mindmelt" is just that. The bass is big enough to cause a concussion and make your brain bleed, but in a good way.

Filet Mignon Volume 4

The time for massive compilation from French label Record Record's Filet Mignon series has finally arrived, with it's fourth installment, including tracks from Madeaux, DZZ, Dombresky, Masayoshi Iimori and Birdy Nam Nam, among others. I've been waiting for this ever since I first heard, what I called at the time, the track of the summer, Point Point's "True Summer." The aim of this series is to shine a spotlight on "tomorrow's new talents" with the backing of more experienced artists, through a coherent and clear artistic direction. There's no question Record Record has achieved this feat, as they've lead me to discover talents like LigOne, Araatan, Aazar and Valy Mo. They were able to get my attention by giving San Holo's "BWU" a place in their third installment, and it was because of it's inclusion that I found two of my favourite tracks, the aforementioned LigOne's "Uprising," and the Little Freaky Things, L'homme aux 4 Lettres' "in2." Once again they've compiled a great combination of tracks, working together to create a consistent and thematically succinct 15 track album. I can truthfully say there are no holes in this massive compilation. Each track works both on its own but truly together in the album. When you can start with a Madeaux, DZZ collaboration and only build upon that foundation with each following track, you know you've got greatness on your hands. Devoted To God's "Burning Bridges" is worthy of worship not only for its pious production quality but Goldilox's voluminous vocals.

The following track from rising star Dombresky is yet another awesome track from him, and perhaps my favourite of the collection, with its swinging strings, soaring in loving beauty. Nomak's "What About Us" showcases a naughty and nasty touch that feels as though the couple in question is bickering in some infernal give and take. Pyramid follows that up with a rave worthy get down track, that just begs unsuspecting listeners to cry out, "Damn son, where'd you find this?" Asan & Halpe's "Amber" is an incredible piece of production prowess that's cinematically cool and sure to sweep you off your feet.

The enigmatic Masayoshi Iimori once again delivers a track that seems miles ahead of anything even the most future forward producers are making. You can be sure DJs the world around will be adding "Down" into their sets for surefire screwfaces and cries of "What in the world is this?" The following track from Birdy Nam Nam is perhaps the best example of the importance of track placement, there is an inevitable let down following Masayoshi's mastery and "Sad Boys Club" emotes that so brilliantly with the downtrodden, depths of his sorrowful synth work.

The aptly named "Don't Let Them Stop You," leads the compilation out of despair, before BeazyTymes "Get Hit" beams it back into oblivion, and in my opinion ought to be named "Get Lit." Once you are indeed 'lit', the best thing for you is a refreshing, cool breeze, and there's no track that better elicits that feeling more than Point Point's "True Summer." The following track from Brunelle, "Chemistry," rivals Dombresky for my favourite of the collection. As though crafted by a scientist in a lab, it truly lives up to its name, as a perfect mixture of so many of the elements we've heard in this massive compilation; groovy, beautiful and as dance-able as anything in Filet Mignon.

The penultimate track from Araatan, "Zereglee," utilizes a guitar and piano better than any electronic track I've heard and runs so brilliantly into the final boss track of Ateph Elidja's "TRRN." Things turn violent as it seems even the artists don't want the compilation to end. Once again utilizing cinematic sweeps, "TRRN" seems to be a triumphant and beautiful finale that caps off an amazing collection of tracks with an echoing slamming of a door, until the next installment.

I'm truly in awe of Record Record and this incredible album, not just because of the sheer number of great tracks, or their unbelievable cohesiveness, but the way they've been so thoughtfully compiled and showcase so many talented artists in a way that other labels can only dream of. You can stream or download Filet Mignon 4 on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music, Deezer and Amazon.

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